Back In 1987

People Are Strange

I think I sat there in shock for what felt like an hour, but in reality, it could have been 10 minutes if that. I'm not really sure at think point, I kind of drowned out any noise, lost in my own panicked thoughts. I kept thinking about what happened, and I'm not even sure myself. I just, I don't know. I want to cry at how stressed out I am at the moment, what should I do, I don't know where anything is anymore...

Despite not knowing, I stood and just let my legs take me somewhere. Maybe I could find a phone or a map, or something that has a date on it.
Where would you go to look for that...

Walking around and just looking at everyone, their fashion seemed to be much dated, but there was like a lot of differently dressed people, and the boardwalk seemed utterly different than what it had initially looked like when I first got to Santa Cruz. I didn't really look after my little episode because of the panic, but now I guess I'm in shock and just numb.

There were more girly and proper styled clothing, I guess they were more up to date on fashion trends, and there were more, punk styled, leather jackets, colourfully dyed hair, and more wild hairstyles. It was interesting, if I wasn't pretty much in comfy clothing, I might have stuck out more than I do. I should find a restroom and look over what I have on my person. If things look this different, I could be high off my ass somehow. I'd instead find somewhere to crash safely and not bring my hallucination home to Mazi, I don't want her to get hurt or anything.

People Are Strange by Echo & the Bunnymen ( The Doors)

People are strange
When you're a stranger
Faces look ugly
When you're alone.
Women seem wicked
When you're unwanted
Streets are uneven
When you're down.

When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange.

I spent a good while looking for a restroom, so I'm either blind and can't find anything, or I'll have to ask someone. Honestly, I should ask someone, but I don't want to get into anything. I don't know anyone here, and I haven't seen any security around.

Glancing around the area looking for a place that didn't seem chaotic, my eyes landed on a comic store... it looked open, and as soon as I saw that it was, I made a b-line towards it. Weaving through the crowd and keeping my eyes low but on that comic store. Getting there was my top priority, I'm probably weird about this whole thing, and most likely acting weird to others paying attention but, can you blame me?

It was a bit like smoky out, that and with the body mass around me stepping into the comic store was like a breath of fresh air. Not really it was still a bit smoky, but at least I wasn't breathing in body odour and rubbing against people who didn't do anything when I tried saying 'excuse me' to them, but hey, made it, I deserve a sticker.

The comic store was covered in comics, magazines hung down from the rafters. There wasn't any empty space it seemed, just all these comics closing in on every side. Browsing the comic aisles, there were a lot of older comics, or at least they seemed old to me, picking out a random comic, a Superman issue, I flicked through the pages, that's more or less when I felt staring, it was like pins and needles in my back. I don't do well when people stare at me, I get nervous and clammy. I could see my hands shaking a little, feel the wetness of sweat forming on my neck. I probably looked so guilty right now, my mother always told me I tended to look guilty if I was getting increasingly stressed out, and the longer those eyes were on me, the more stressed out I became.

I closed the comic and put it back, trying to keep my eyes straight, so I didn't seem sketchier than I already did.
"Deep breath, you haven't done anything, just look weird." Muttering to myself, as I walked to the end of the aisle, I peeked around the corner, I saw some kid with dog tags wearing khaki fatigues staring at me, he couldn't have been more than fourteen. Like not even subtle like, he was staring at me, our eyes locked, I just straightened myself out and moved back, so I wasn't staring at him but at some comic in front of me. I really wanted to look back to see if he was still staring, but I had a feeling he was, I could feel it.

Closing my eyes and retching to rub my forehead as I turned slightly to leave the store, I barely even took a step before I bumped into someone, not hard enough to fall or make someone fall, but we were standing close together, I swear, I could feel the person breath on my neck. Opening my eyes, looking straight, I didn't see a face, just the beginning of a head of hair.

The person was shorter than me, and I suddenly felt awkward, looking down I saw a kid, about fourteen or so and he dressed like he had stepped out of a Rambo film, he had like permanent resting bitch face. Brown hair, maybe dark brown eyes, a red bandana wrapped around his forehead. He looked familiar, and we were standing very close, although I couldn't have been staring at him for longer than six seconds. I was awkward, this situation was uncomfortable, and either of us had said anything yet.

"Oh. I'm sorry for, running into you?" I internally winced, it sounded like a question, and this kid seemed very serious, not sorry, or he doesn't realize how close we're standing and he's just been staring at me, dead in the eye.

"What's a girl doing in a comic store." Bandana kid said his voice was deep, more profound than one would think, it was like naturally gruff.

"Looking at comics," my reply was a tad sarcastic, I mean in my day,. Oh dear, I sound like an elder... "Is that a problem?"

Bandana kid just narrowed his eyes before taking a step back, as he did this Dog tags walked past me to stand at his side. The pair I guessed looked like siblings, Bandana has more of a square jaw were as Dog tags had more of an oval shape.

I was full-on staring, these two looked so familiar, and I couldn't remember why. It's getting frustrating.

"Hey, what are your guy's names?"

"I'm Edgar." Bandana kid spoke first then pointed to the other boy. "This is Alan. We're the Frog Brothers."

I started to feel hot, dark spots starting from the outer corners of my eyes and gradually growing. Next thing I know, everything went black.